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'Decrease In' or 'Decrease Of'? Which One Is Correct? | Mastering Grammar

(Last Updated: 22 August 2024)

'Decrease In' vs 'Decrease Of'

Decrease In or Decrease Of: Which One Is Correct?

Use decrease in when you want to talk about what is decreasing:

The increased supply of jobs resulted in a decrease in unemployment.
The increased supply of jobs resulted in a decrease of unemployment.

We will soon see a decrease in property prices across the country.
We will soon see a decrease of property prices across the country.

Deforestation and poaching have led to a dramatic decrease in the number of Sumatran tigers.
Deforestation and poaching have led to a dramatic decrease of the number of Sumatran tigers.

Use decrease of with a percentage or number when you want to talk about the amount or size of a decrease:

✅ We expect a price decrease of 10% this year.
❌ We expect a price decrease in 10% this year.

The average price of an apartment has fallen from US$1.5 million to US$1.2 million—a decrease of 20 per cent.
The average price of an apartment has fallen from US$1.5 million to US$1.2 million—a decrease in 20 per cent.

✅ There has been a decrease of 20,000 people in the population.
❌ There has been a decrease in 20,000 people in the population.


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Examples from the Media

The UK's statistics agency said the 1.6% decrease in the volume of food sales appeared to be linked to inflation, which as measured by the consumer prices index hit a 40-year-high of 9.1% in May. —The Guardian (2022)

NSW has recorded 5582 new cases of COVID-19 and 21 deaths, while Victoria has recorded 4867 new cases and nine deaths, both states seeing a decrease in cases in the past 24 hours. —The Sydney Morning Herald (2022)

Outbreaks in facilities like long-term care homes, group homes, and retirement residents have decreased as well. The EOHU reported 31 facilities in outbreak on February 7, a decrease of 10 facilities in the past week. —Toronto Star (2022)

The city recorded 61,600 deaths and 35,100 births between mid-2021 and mid-2022, leading to a decrease of 26,500 people. —South China Morning Post (2022)

Practice

Choose the correct preposition to complete each sentence.

1. There has been a steady decrease in/of the number of stray dogs over the past five years.

2. We had a decrease in/of approximately 12% in our sales.

3. Longer working hours will likely result in a decrease in/of productivity.

4. We saw a population decrease in/of about 4% last year.

5. There has been a sharp decrease in/of the number of skilled migrants.

6. There was a significant drop in attendance at football matches in December as a result of poor weather conditions, leading to a decrease in/of revenue.

Answer Key

1. in    2. of    3. in    4. of    5. in    6. in

Recommended Further Reading

'Increase In' or 'Increase Of'? Which One Is Correct?

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